Buffer mechanism for passenger-cars.



1. YF.,0c m\qr-rorf. l BUFFER MECHA'NISM FOR PASSENGER CARS.4

` APPLICA-HON FILED MAAR- 301| l9|1 v 1,251,685. Patented Jan, 1,1918...

WITNESS A TTORNEY.

Chicago,-'inthe county' of Cook and STATES PATENT oFFIoE.

if. ocoivnfon.,yo'rfcrIIcaeo, ILLINOIS, AssIGNon ro WILLIAM II. EINER, or 2 Vcianlzv,Intwyoax. l Y

To allfwlwm t may concern.'

Be vit known ,thatL JOHN F. OCoNNoR,a citizen ofthe United States, residin t at a e of Illinois, haveinvented-a certain new and usefullmprovement in Buffer Mechanism for Passen erCars,.of whichthe following is a full, c ear,..concise, land .exact .descriprv (tion, reference being hadfto the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part ofthis specication.' I l This. invention relates to improvements for buffer mechanism for passenger cars.

Heretofore considerable difficulty has been experienced in arrangements of buffer mechanisms for passenger cars in obtaining and maintaining the proper spring-,pressure on the buffer plates when two cars are coupled -ztogetherw-As -is""well known, it is desirable thatzthebuifer plates of two adjacent cars be maintained 1n constant contact during operation "of the cars and at the same time the i outwardf yielding pressure against4 the buffery plates must not be so great as to prevent proper and easy coupling of the cars when the :same are brought together.l Furthermore, duettoA the wide ran e of movement necessary'forthe buffer p ates, it has -f heretofore been necessary to so design the buffer.. mechanism that considerable compression thereof was necessary when two cars were brought together which resulted in forming too stiff a vresistance to the buffer plate during the coupling action.

The object of the present invention is to provide a buer arrangement wherein the buffer plate is forced inwardly a relatively short distanceduring the coupling together of two cars and furthermore, to so arrange the yielding resistance for the buffer plate that it will not exceed a predetermined amount during the coupling of the cars.

Another and more specic object of the invention is vto -provide a buffer arrangement so designed that the buffer plate, during the coupling of the cars, is resisted in its inward movement by a spring which is independent of the main shock absorbing device of the buffer and furthermore, the yielding resistance is so mounted that it will remain substantially uniform against the buffer plate so long as the latter and the coupler are maintained in alinement.

In the drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a vertical longitu- Speoication of Letters 1atent. Application led March 30, 1917. Serial No. 158,495.

p norm MECHANISM ron PASSENGER-cans.

' Patented Jan. 1, 191s.-`

dinal sectionof the end portion of a passenger carshowing my improvements in connection therewith, and Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical transverse section of v the structure illustrated in Fig.l,1 and taken on, the line 2 2 thereof.

,In said drawing,.10 denotes the end plat-` form casting of a passenger car in which is mounted a relatively high capacity main friction buffer mechanism 11,. the. latter havinga rear `stop 12 provided therefor;` and a front follower 13., The end ofthecasting 10 is recessed, as indicated at 14, in the usual manner to accommodate the center or main buffer stem 15, which engages the inner face of the buffer plate 16. The details of the diaphragm and diaphragm face plate which are usually supported by the buffer plate are omitted inasmuch as the lsame 'do not form any part o-f this invention. Secured to the underframe of the car are stop castings 17 with which is associated-the draft gear 18 of the car, said gear 18 being connected with the coupler shank 19 by means Vof a yoke 2O in any desired or well known manner. Secured to the coupler shank 19 is an upstanding relatively heavy bracket 21 which is perforated, as indicated at` 22, to accommodate a forwardly extending post 23 formed ,on the follower 13 of the buffer mechanism. The buffer stem 15 is provided with -a flange 24v and a post or thrust member. 25 atthe rear thereof and in alinement with the rear post or thrust member 23. Said posts or 4thrust members 23 are maintained in alinement by means of a bushing or sleeve 26` slidably mounted thereon between the upstanding bracket 21 and the flange 24. Mounted on the bushing 26 and also interposed betweenl the bracket 21 and flange 24 is a spring 27 so designed that the opposed ends of the posts 23 and 25 are slightly separated, as indicated in lFig. 1i, when theucarsare coupled. In this connection, it may be stated-that the dotted lines in Fig. 1,;indicate the release position of the buffer plate when the car is not coupled with an adjacent car and the full lines indicating the buer plate in Fig. 1 show the position assumedwhen thecars are coupled which willplace the spring 27f under compression as will be understood.

With the arrangement above described, it Y K uer plate during the operation of the train the buffer stem 15 will be forced rearwardly until the post 25 engages the post 23 whereupon the main buffer mechanism 11 f will be brought into action. During this inward movement of the buffer plate 16, it is apparent that it will be maintamed in alinement with the coupler and the bracket 21 carried by the shank of the coupler will move in unison with the coupler. Upon outward movement of the buffer plate and consequent outward movement of the coupler or draft on the draft gear 18, the buffer plate and coupler will still be maintained in alinement and at the same time the buffer plate 16 will be maintained in constant contact with the opposed buffer plate of the next car with a uniform pressure from the spring 27, since the latter moves forward bodily due to the forward or outward movement of the bracket 21 with the coupler.

With the foregoing described construction, it is apparent that the buffer plates of two cars coupled together will be maintained .in virmcontact and without the necessity of employing the main shock absorbing'element of the buffer, under normal conditions, and upon inward movement of the bufer plate under a buling action, the main shock absorbing element of the buffer will be brought into play and without the employment of the draft gear in any way to resist said inward movement of the buft'er plate whereby the draft gear is utilized entirely for absorbing the shocks imposed thereon through the coupler and its shank.

I claim:

1. In car constructiom; the combination with a buffer plate and a shock absorbing buffer, of a draw bar, shock absorbing means coperable with4 the draw bar, and means,

overned bythe position of the draw bar, interposed between the buffer plate and the shock absorbin buffer, for yieldingly controlling the position of the buffer plate.

2. In car construction, the combination with a buffer plate and shock absorbing buffing mechansim, of an extensible buffer stem interposed between said plate and mechanism, a draw bar, and yieldable means interposed betwen one .element of said stem and the draw bar. l,

3. In car construction, the combination with a buffer plate having a plunger extending inwardly therefrom, of a draw bar, cushioning means interposed between said plunger and draw bar, a shock absorbing 'and extension from the draw bar, and spring means between said extension and the part of said stem co-acting directly with the buffer plate whereby to maintainy the buffer plate and coupler of the draw bar in relatively fixed positions during their movements when the car is coupled to an adjacent car.

5. In car construction, the combination with a buffer plate, a shock absorbing bufling mechanism, a two-part stem extending between the plate and the buffer mechanism, said parts being capable of relative ap roach and separation, of a draw bar, a dra t gear Yto-which the'draw bar is operativelyCong-1` nected, a bracket movable in unison with the draw bar, and spring means interposed between said bracket and that part of the stem directly operated by the buffer plate.

6. In car construction, the combination with a draw bar and draft gear to which it is operatively connected, of a buffer plate, shock absorbing bumng mechanism, yielding means interposed betwen the draw bar and said buifer plate, and means interposed between the buffer plate and said mechanism arranged to actuate the latter after said yielding means have. been compressed a predetermined amount. A

7. In car construction, the combination with a buffer plate, a shock absorbing buffing mechanism, a two-..part buffer stem interposed between the plate and the buffer mechanism and having the parts normally separated, a flange on that part of the buffer stem directly actuated by the buffer plate, of a draw bar, a bracket secured to and movable in unison'with` the draw bar and extended upwardlyy.l said 4bracket being perforated to accommodate that part of the stem adjacent said mechanism, and a spring interposed between said bracket and said flange.

yIn witness that Iv claim the foregoin I have hereunto subscribed my name this 2 th' day of March, 1917.

v JOHN F. OCONNOR. 

